Warren herself says Sanders 'disagreed' with her that 'a woman could win' in 2020


After a day of anonymously sourced reports about what Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in a December 2018 tête-à-tête, everyone is now on the record. "I thought a woman could win; he disagreed," Warren said in a statement released late on Monday. "I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences in punditry."
Despite Warren's preferences, both she and Sanders will undoubtedly be asked to rehash what they discussed in that two-hour meeting at Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, the last debate before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.
Earlier Monday, Sanders called a CNN report that he'd told Warren a woman couldn't be elected in 2020 "ludicrous," recalling, "What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist, a racist and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could." Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir had predicted that if Warren did release a statement, she would say the report "is not true, that is a lie."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The open acrimony between the two progressive 2020 candidates started with a Politico report Sunday detailing how Sanders staffers are trying to flip Warren-leaning voters by suggesting she's the candidate of "highly educated, more affluent people" who will vote for the Democrats anyway. Warren said she was "disappointed" that Sanders is "sending his volunteers out to trash me," and Sanders said he did not approve the messaging and has never personally attacked his friend Warren.
Some progressives are getting worried about the escalation hurting both candidates. "This looks like a desperate attempt to fracture a coalition of the candidates that represent the most popular ideas among working people," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
WHCA rejects White House press seating grab
Speed Read The White House Correspondents' Association objected to the Trump administration's bid to control where journalists sit during press briefings
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sends more migrants to El Salvador jail
Speed Read Another 17 Venezuelan alleged gang members have been deported to a notorious prison
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump 'not joking' about unconstitutional 3rd term
Speed Read The president seems to be serious about seeking a third term in 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
Supreme Court upholds 'ghost gun' restrictions
Speed Read Ghost guns can be regulated like other firearms
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump sets 25% tariffs on auto imports
Speed Read The White House says the move will increase domestic manufacturing. But the steep import taxes could also harm the US auto industry.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Americans deserve immigration officials who are transparent about what they do and why'
instant opinion 'Opinion, comment and editorials of the day'
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Trump allies urge White House to admit chat blunder
Speed Read Even pro-Trump figures are criticizing The White House's handling of the Signal scandal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published